Kilburn White Horse Circular Walk
5.5 miles Storm Doris
An apocalyptic weather forecast made us decide on a shorter walk as we couldn't change days for (my) domestic reasons.
For this walk Tom Scott Burns suggests parking at the pay and display car park at the information centre but there is a free car park just below the White Horse and we feel this gives a better balance to the walk, with Gormire being reached at the half way point.
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| Today's walk from the Walker's Guide to the Hambleton Hills |
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| The White Horse at Kilburn from Low Town Bank Road |
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| The White Horse from our car park |
From the car park we crossed the road and joined a track that followed the road steeply downhill. Where the track rejoined the road at the bottom of the hill we crossed over and went through a gate where there was a footpath sign.
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| Down hill parallel to the road |
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| Turn right through the gate |
We followed this farm track through the charmingly named forestry plantation of Happy Valley with nice views up to the cliffs of Roulston Scar to our right.
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| Lots of snowdrops in today's walk |
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| Unusual stile |
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| Roulston Scar from Happy Valley |
The rain came and went in flurries, sometimes very heavy and sometimes just drizzle, and eventually we came to a stile and way mark on our right. We crossed over into fields which were slippery with mud and headed towards Hood Farm, directly ahead.
The buildings of Hood Farm were surrounded by deep mud and here we had a problem getting through, without sinking knee deep. We were relieved to reach the tarmac of the farm road which we followed to the A170.
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| Leaving the woods |
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| Across the fields to Hood Farm |
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| Hood Farm |
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| We need to get through the gate on the left |
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| Secure cockerels at Hood Farm |
As we walked along the farm track we saw a neatly tended grave and next to it a smaller plot, marked with a horseshoe, which we presume must belong to a much missed pet.
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| Two Southdown 'teddy bear sheep' stand out from the crowd |
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| Unusual sheep at Hood Farm |
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| The grave at Hood Farm |
The A170 was busy as always and we walked along it for a hundred yards or so to the entrance to High Cleaves Farm, but almost immediately turned right into a field track to the little valley of Butter Dale, which TSB says was cut by last the Ice Age.
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| High Cleaves Farm ahead |
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| Turn off before the farm across fields |
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| Butter Dale |
Following the footpath over a stile a sharp climb took us to the first lake, at Gormire Rigg. At the end of this lake we turned right and soon reached the waters of Gormire.
We followed the lake round its southern shore and came to a perfectly placed bench made from railway sleepers, an ideal spot for coffee and scones. The rain had stopped and we sat out of the wind in this peaceful place with silence broken only by the occasional honk from some Canada Geese. Because of its difficult location we rarely see anyone here and today, probably because of the threat of bad weather, we didn't see anyone throughout the whole walk.
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| Gormire Rigg |
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| Walking alongside Gormire Rigg Lake |
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| Masses of snowdrops |
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| Stones from an ancient building |
Gormire is an interesting spot and I explain a little of its history in last month's walk from Boltby but eventually the coffee ran out and it was time to gird our loins for the long and very steep climb to the top of Whitestone Cliff.
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| Our first glimpse of Gormire |
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| A convenient bench |
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| Scontentment |
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| A peaceful scene |
After twenty minutes we reached the top and turned right on the path, signposted Sutton Bank. We now had a fine ridge walk of about 1.5 miles along the top of the escarpment, all the while looking down into the Vale of Mowbray.
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| Climbing ever upwards... |
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| ... to the top of Whitestone Cliff |
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| Deposited by the ice? |
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| Climbing through Garbutt Wood |
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| Roulston Scar and Hood Hill |
TSB explains in The Walker's Guide to the Hambleton Hills that during the last Ice Age glacial sheets, unable to override the Cleveland Hills, swept round both sides of the moors carving out the great cliffs at Gormire and Roulston Scar. As we walked along the ridge the winds of Storm Doris steadily increased - fortunately blowing us away from the edge. Opposite us we could see the cone shaped summit of Hood Hill where a number of barrows and earthworks are located around the summit.
We passed by the Information Centre and crossed the A170 again, continuing along the path which apparently was known as Thieves Highway in olden days. This was because it was supposed to be a getaway route for robbers who had plundered travellers on the Hambleton road.
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| Ridge Walk |
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| Re-crossing the A170 |
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| Sponsored sign at A170 |
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| Memorial stone on cliff top |
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| Looking back towards Gormire... |
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| .... and the other way to Roulston Scar |
We walked past the Yorkshire Gliding Club and then past Roulston Scar to reach the top of the White Horse. Our car lay below and we descended steps alongside the Horse to reach it.
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| Hood Farm below us |
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| Yorkshire Gliding Club |
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| Kilburn from Roulston Scar |
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| We reach the top of the White Horse |
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| Our car park from the White Horse |
A short drive took us to Kilburn and The Foresters Arms. As we walked to the pub the heavens opened and Doris finally arrived. We sat in front of the fire with a pint of John Smith's Cask Ale and congratulated ourselves on having a good walk and missing the worst of the weather.
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| Descending to the car park |
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| Contented customer in the Foresters Arms |
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| To Doris! |
